The Crane Wife - Album
The Crane Wife (Album) by The Decemberists
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Artist Biography For The Decemberists
The Decemberists Is A Folk Rock Band Which Formed In 2000 In Portland Oregon United States. The Band Currently Consists Of Colin Meloy Vocals Guitar Chris Funk Guitar Mandolin Dulcimer Pedal Steel Guitar Jenny Conlee Organ Piano Accordion Nate Query Electric Bass Acoustic Bass Cello And John Moen Drums . Notable Former Members Include Rachel Blumberg Drums Vocals And Jesse Emerson Bass . Named Both In Reference To The Russian Decembrist Revolt They Use The National Anthem Of The Soviet Union As An Introduction At Many Concerts And To The Atmosphere Associated With The Month Of December The Decemberists Write Songs That Range From Upbeat Pop To Instrumentally Lush Ballads. They Often Employ Instruments Like The Accordion Hammond Organ Wurlitzer Organ And Upright Bass. In Their Lyrics They Eschew The Angst And Introspection Common To Modern Rock Instead Favoring A Storytelling Approach As Evidenced In Songs Such As "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist" From The 5 Songs EP And "The Mariner's Revenge Song" On Picaresque. Their Songs Convey Tales Ranging From Whimsical "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" To Epic "The Tain" To Truly Dark "Odalisque" . They Often Invoke Historical Events And Themes From Around The World. Early In Their Career The Decemberists' Musical And Lyrical Aesthetics Frequently Prompted Critics To Compare Them To Neutral Milk Hotel. Since Their Debut Their Sound Has Undergone A Consistent Evolution Most Notably In The Direction Of Progressive Rock With A Strong Folk Influence Though They Have Also Been Described As Indie Rock And By Stephen Colbert As "hyper-Literate Prog Rock." For Example One Song "When The War Came" Uses A Little-Known Story From The Siege Of Leningrad To Describe The Heroism Of Civilian Scientists During Warfare. The Lyrics State "We Made Our Oath To Vavilov / We'd Not Betray The Solanum / The Acres Of Asteraceae / To Our Own Pangs Of Starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov Was A Russian Botanist Whose Laboratory A Seedbank Containing 200 000 Types Of Plant Seeds Many Of Them Edible Was Preserved Throughout The Siege During Which Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Died. In March 2005 The Decemberists Were Reportedly The First Band To Distribute A Music Video Via BitTorrent -- The Self-Produced "16 Military Wives" From Picaresque . That Same Month The Band's Equipment Trailer Was Stolen Fans Contributed To A Replacement Fund And Another Fund-Raiser Was Organized Via An EBay Auction With Buyers Bidding For Copies Of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey And Original Art Work By Carson Ellis. They Also Received Help From Lee Kruger The Shins The Dandy Warhols And Other Musicians. The Martin Guitar Company Offered Six- And Twelve-String Guitars On Permanent Loan. In Early April Police Discovered The Trailer In Clackamas Oregon And A Fair Amount Of The Band's Merchandise But The Instruments And Equipment Were Not Recovered. On 12 December 2005 Meloy Revealed To Pitchfork Media That They Had Signed To Capitol Records And Planned To Begin Recording Their Major Label Debut With Producers Tucker Martine And Chris Walla Of Death Cab For Cutie Fame In April 2006. The Decemberists' First Album On Capitol And Their First Major Label Debut The Crane Wife Was Released On 3 October 2006. The Release Was Accompanied By An Appearance The Same Day On The World-Wide Syndicated TV Talk Show Late Night With Conan O'Brien When The Track "O Valencia!" Was Performed. The Decemberists Began Their Tour In Support Of The Crane Wife With The Rout Of The Patagons Tour On 17 October 2006 At Portland Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their Opening Act Was Lavender Diamond. Later On In The Tour Alasdair Roberts Opened For The Band. In July 2007 The Decemberists Set Out On A Five-Date Tour With A Full Orchestral Accompaniment. On 7 July The Tour Put The Group On The Stage Of The Historic Hollywood Bowl For The First Time In Their Career And They Were Joined By The Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July The Group Performed With The Mann Festival Orchestra At The Mann Center For The Performing Arts In Philadelphia Pennsylvania. They Then Played A Free Concert In Chicago Ilinois At The Recently Developed Millennium Park With The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 They Also Played At Austin City Limits Music Festival In Austin Texas. In October 2007 They Began The Long And Short Of It Tour. However Having Completed The European Portion Of The Tour And Immediately After Playing The Chicago Dates The Rest Of The Tour Was Canceled Due To Illness. On 24 March 2009 The Band Released The Hazards Of Love Their Fifth Album. The Album's First Single "The Rake's Song" Was Made Available For Free On The Band's Website. The Album Featured Guest Appearances From My Brightest Diamond Becky Stark Of Lavender Diamond Robyn Hitchcock And Jim James. The Album Peaked At #14 On The Billboard 200. On 11 January 2011 The Band Released Their Sixth Album The King Is Dead. The Band Released The First Single "Down By The Water" For Free On Their Website. The Album Debuted At #1 On The Billboard 200 Album Chart In The United States And Is The Highest Charting Album In The Band's Career. The Second Single "This Is Why We Fight" Was Released On January 25 2011. There Is Another Band With The Same Name 2 . The Decemberists Formed In Liverpool In 1984 When Andy Ford And Tom Gent From Swim Naked Hooked Up With Colin Pennington Who Had Just Left The Tunnel Users. They Played Their First Show At The Cavern In 1985 And Then Played Extensively In Their Home City. After Recording Demo Tapes Which Attracted Attention From BBC Radio 1's John Peel And Rough Trade Records They Secured A Residency At University Of London Union ULU . Their First Release Was James Is Still The Same On The Discreet Campaigns Compilation Cassette Tape Alongside New Order And Cocteau Twins. After The Appearance Of Gift Horse On The Ways To Wear Coats Compilation LP In 1987 The Band Changed Their Name To Hellfire Sermons. James Is Still The Same Was Included On The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 In 2009. They Are Listed As ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ On This Album To Make A Distinction From The Famous 21st Century Group Of The Same Name.
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Biography - The Decemberists
The Decemberists Is A Folk Rock Band Which Formed In 2000 In Portland Oregon United States. The Band Currently Consists Of Colin Meloy Vocals Guitar Chris Funk Guitar Mandolin Dulcimer Pedal Steel Guitar Jenny Conlee Organ Piano Accordion Nate Query Electric Bass Acoustic Bass Cello And John Moen Drums . Notable Former Members Include Rachel Blumberg Drums Vocals And Jesse Emerson Bass . Named Both In Reference To The Russian Decembrist Revolt They Use The National Anthem Of The Soviet Union As An Introduction At Many Concerts And To The Atmosphere Associated With The Month Of December The Decemberists Write Songs That Range From Upbeat Pop To Instrumentally Lush Ballads. They Often Employ Instruments Like The Accordion Hammond Organ Wurlitzer Organ And Upright Bass. In Their Lyrics They Eschew The Angst And Introspection Common To Modern Rock Instead Favoring A Storytelling Approach As Evidenced In Songs Such As "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist" From The 5 Songs EP And "The Mariner's Revenge Song" On Picaresque. Their Songs Convey Tales Ranging From Whimsical "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" To Epic "The Tain" To Truly Dark "Odalisque" . They Often Invoke Historical Events And Themes From Around The World. Early In Their Career The Decemberists' Musical And Lyrical Aesthetics Frequently Prompted Critics To Compare Them To Neutral Milk Hotel. Since Their Debut Their Sound Has Undergone A Consistent Evolution Most Notably In The Direction Of Progressive Rock With A Strong Folk Influence Though They Have Also Been Described As Indie Rock And By Stephen Colbert As "hyper-Literate Prog Rock." For Example One Song "When The War Came" Uses A Little-Known Story From The Siege Of Leningrad To Describe The Heroism Of Civilian Scientists During Warfare. The Lyrics State "We Made Our Oath To Vavilov / We'd Not Betray The Solanum / The Acres Of Asteraceae / To Our Own Pangs Of Starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov Was A Russian Botanist Whose Laboratory A Seedbank Containing 200 000 Types Of Plant Seeds Many Of Them Edible Was Preserved Throughout The Siege During Which Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Died. In March 2005 The Decemberists Were Reportedly The First Band To Distribute A Music Video Via BitTorrent -- The Self-Produced "16 Military Wives" From Picaresque . That Same Month The Band's Equipment Trailer Was Stolen Fans Contributed To A Replacement Fund And Another Fund-Raiser Was Organized Via An EBay Auction With Buyers Bidding For Copies Of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey And Original Art Work By Carson Ellis. They Also Received Help From Lee Kruger The Shins The Dandy Warhols And Other Musicians. The Martin Guitar Company Offered Six- And Twelve-String Guitars On Permanent Loan. In Early April Police Discovered The Trailer In Clackamas Oregon And A Fair Amount Of The Band's Merchandise But The Instruments And Equipment Were Not Recovered. On 12 December 2005 Meloy Revealed To Pitchfork Media That They Had Signed To Capitol Records And Planned To Begin Recording Their Major Label Debut With Producers Tucker Martine And Chris Walla Of Death Cab For Cutie Fame In April 2006. The Decemberists' First Album On Capitol And Their First Major Label Debut The Crane Wife Was Released On 3 October 2006. The Release Was Accompanied By An Appearance The Same Day On The World-Wide Syndicated TV Talk Show Late Night With Conan O'Brien When The Track "O Valencia!" Was Performed. The Decemberists Began Their Tour In Support Of The Crane Wife With The Rout Of The Patagons Tour On 17 October 2006 At Portland Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their Opening Act Was Lavender Diamond. Later On In The Tour Alasdair Roberts Opened For The Band. In July 2007 The Decemberists Set Out On A Five-Date Tour With A Full Orchestral Accompaniment. On 7 July The Tour Put The Group On The Stage Of The Historic Hollywood Bowl For The First Time In Their Career And They Were Joined By The Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July The Group Performed With The Mann Festival Orchestra At The Mann Center For The Performing Arts In Philadelphia Pennsylvania. They Then Played A Free Concert In Chicago Ilinois At The Recently Developed Millennium Park With The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 They Also Played At Austin City Limits Music Festival In Austin Texas. In October 2007 They Began The Long And Short Of It Tour. However Having Completed The European Portion Of The Tour And Immediately After Playing The Chicago Dates The Rest Of The Tour Was Canceled Due To Illness. On 24 March 2009 The Band Released The Hazards Of Love Their Fifth Album. The Album's First Single "The Rake's Song" Was Made Available For Free On The Band's Website. The Album Featured Guest Appearances From My Brightest Diamond Becky Stark Of Lavender Diamond Robyn Hitchcock And Jim James. The Album Peaked At #14 On The Billboard 200. On 11 January 2011 The Band Released Their Sixth Album The King Is Dead. The Band Released The First Single "Down By The Water" For Free On Their Website. The Album Debuted At #1 On The Billboard 200 Album Chart In The United States And Is The Highest Charting Album In The Band's Career. The Second Single "This Is Why We Fight" Was Released On January 25 2011. There Is Another Band With The Same Name 2 . The Decemberists Formed In Liverpool In 1984 When Andy Ford And Tom Gent From Swim Naked Hooked Up With Colin Pennington Who Had Just Left The Tunnel Users. They Played Their First Show At The Cavern In 1985 And Then Played Extensively In Their Home City. After Recording Demo Tapes Which Attracted Attention From BBC Radio 1's John Peel And Rough Trade Records They Secured A Residency At University Of London Union ULU . Their First Release Was James Is Still The Same On The Discreet Campaigns Compilation Cassette Tape Alongside New Order And Cocteau Twins. After The Appearance Of Gift Horse On The Ways To Wear Coats Compilation LP In 1987 The Band Changed Their Name To Hellfire Sermons. James Is Still The Same Was Included On The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 In 2009. They Are Listed As ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ On This Album To Make A Distinction From The Famous 21st Century Group Of The Same Name.
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Published: 01 Jan 2010, 01:43
The Crane Wife Is An Album By The Decemberists Released In 2006. It Was Produced By Tucker Martine And Chris Walla And Is The Band's First Album On The Capitol Records Label. The Album Was Inspired By A Japanese Folk Tale And Centers On Two Song Cycles The Crane Wife And The Island The Latter Of Which Was Inspired By William Shakespeare's The Tempest. National Public Radio Listeners Voted The Crane Wife The Best Album Of 2006. The Album Cover Was Made By Portland Artist Carson Ellis Long-Time Girlfriend And Now Wife Of Colin Meloy Who Has Created Artwork For Each Of Their Albums. The Crane Wife Is An Old Japanese Tale. While There Are Many Variations Of The Tale A Common Version Is That A Poor Man Finds An Injured Crane On His Doorstep Or Outside With An Arrow In It Takes It In And Nurses It Back To Health. After He Releases The Crane A Woman Appears At His Doorstep With Whom He Falls In Love And Marries. Because They Need Money His Wife Offers To Weave Wondrous Clothes Out Of Silk That They Can Sell At The Market But Only If He Agrees Never To Watch Her Making Them. They Begin To Sell Them And Live A Comfortable Life But He Soon Makes Her Weave Them More And More. Oblivious To His Wife's Diminishing Health His Greed Increases. He Eventually Peeks In To See What She Is Doing To Make The Silk She Weaves So Desirable. He Is Shocked To Discover That At The Loom Is A Crane Plucking Feathers From Her Own Body And Weaving Them Into The Loom. The Crane Seeing Him Flies Away And Never Returns. Band Leader Colin Meloy Found A Version Of This Story And Decided To Write Music Based On It. In A January 2007 Interview Given On The NPR Show Fresh Air Colin Meloy Gave This Synopsis Of The Story "It's A Story About A Peasant In Rural Japan Who Finds A Wounded Crane On An Evening Walk There's An Arrow In Its Wing. He Revives The Crane And The Crane Flies Away. A Couple Days Later A Mysterious Woman Shows Up At His Door And He Takes Her In. Eventually They Fall In Love And Get Married. But They're Very Poor So She Suggests That She Start Weaving This Cloth Which He Can In Turn Sell At The Market—the Condition Being That When She's Weaving It She Has To Do It Behind Closed Doors And He Can't Look In. So This Goes On For A While And They Actually Become Kind Of Wealthy. But Eventually His Curiosity Gets The Best Of Him And He Looks In At Her While She's Weaving And It Turns Out That She's A Crane And She's Been Pulling Feathers From Her Wings And Putting It Into The Cloth Which Is What Makes It So Beautiful. But Him Having Seen Her Breaks The Spell And She Turns Back Into A Crane And Flies Away. That's The End."